Childcare is a massive issue for parents in every constituency. Ireland has some of the most expensive childcare costs in Europe and we need clarity on how it is proposed to reduce fees for parents, to improve pay and conditions for staff and to improve the availability of places for children. In Limerick on Monday, I visited two brilliant childcare and early years education services, namely, Northside Family Resource Centre and Our Lady of Lourdes Childworld in Rosbrien. I was asked whether the Government's new fu…

I certainly support that call, which is very important. I seek statements over the course of the next few days in this House on delays in the processing of passport applications. I am not the only Deputy who has been inundated with calls, emails and other forms of contact from distressed constituents because of lengthy delays in the processing of passports, in many cases for urgent travel in the context of family bereavement abroad. It has become a matter of immense concern to us. We have corresponded with the Busi…

It is a question of the impact on people.

On behalf of the Labour Party, I want to say how disappointed we are by, and, indeed, how much we deplore, the Cabinet decision taken today to proceed with the new National Maternity Hospital despite the real and substantial ongoing concerns around ownership, control and governance that we and others have expressed to the Taoiseach and the Government. We have engaged with the Minister for Health, Deputy Stephen Donnelly. I, along with many of my party colleagues, attended the rally on Saturday and saw the immense c…

By taking that off the table, we have simply left the power and the leverage in the hands of the St. Vincent's Healthcare Group.

The Taoiseach would have had the Opposition united with him in delaying further to ensure better negotiation, that the land would be publicly owned, that the public National Maternity Hospital would be built on land that is in public ownership and that we do not repeat the mistakes of the past.

These are new figures on CPOs.

The ownership issue.

I thank the Taoiseach for outlining the visit to Finland and Estonia. We have all been conscious of the volte-face by Finland and Sweden in announcing that they would be joining NATO. I take this opportunity to restate the Labour Party's support for the principle of military neutrality in Ireland. There is immense public support for neutrality in Ireland, and I do not think there is any suggestion of a similar move here. We would be very strongly opposed to it. In the face of brutal Russian aggression and Russia's …

Last week another report from Daft revealed record rents and serious shortages of supply. I was in Limerick yesterday and I heard that only five properties are available to rent in the entire city. We need to ensure our stock of housing is being used more effectively along with ensuring more supply of homes coming on-stream. Is the Government taking any action to ensure an effective vacant housing tax will be introduced without further delay? It is also a climate measure ensuring we use our building stock more effe…

I will refer to the policing reform division and its work. As the Taoiseach knows, the Labour Party has for many years been a strong proponent of policing reform and we successfully argued for the introduction of the Policing Authority. I wish to ask the Taoiseach about the general scheme of the policing security and community safety Bill, which I understand was published more than a year ago. I would like the Taoiseach to confirm that the Government intends to move back to a governance structure that would effecti…

Earlier today, on behalf of the Labour Party, I expressed our strong disappointment to the Taoiseach at the decision that has been taken by Cabinet. As I have said and as my colleague, Deputy Duncan Smith, has said, in Labour we continue to stand firm in expressing our strong concerns about ongoing issues with the control, ownership and governance of the new national maternity hospital. We thank the Minister, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, for the engagement we have had in the last two weeks and we acknowledge the need f…

I return to the question of the national maternity hospital. First, I thank the Minister, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, for his engagement with the Labour Party Parliamentary Party yesterday evening. We were very appreciative of the opportunity to engage with the Minister, clinicians and legal advisers to hear more about the Government's proposals, to dig into the legal documents somewhat and to hear more about the choice of the St. Vincent's site. While we did receive clarity, our concerns remain. We received much grea…

We are convinced of the clinical need for the new maternity hospital; I think all of us are. All of us want the same outcome, which is a state-of-the-art, fit-for-purpose new national maternity hospital for women's healthcare in Ireland. We have heard why that should be at the St. Vincent's site. However, it is time to call the bluff of the owners of that site. It is time to call them out. While a 299-year lease is certainly better than the previous alternative that was offered of a 99-year lease, it still remains …

I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." I am delighted to introduce the Labour Party Living Wage Bill 2022. I propose to share time with my colleague, Deputy Nash. For many years, the Labour Party has campaigned for the introduction of a living wage in Ireland. To do so effectively requires a legislative framework and for that reason we have introduced this Bill. It could not be more timely as the cost-of-living crisis squeezes every household, individual and family throughout the country. We are conscio…

Yesterday I raised with the Taoiseach the ongoing concerns of the Labour Party in respect of the ownership, control and governance of the new national maternity hospital. Since then, I know the Minister for Health, Deputy Donnelly, has been engaging with the Joint Committee on Health. Indeed, the parliamentary Labour Party looks forward to engaging with him. However, we have also seen the publication last night of a statement from Professor Deirdre Madden and Dr. Sarah McLoughlin in which they set out their concern…

It is the conditionality that is the difference.

Economic recovery is hampered by the scourge of low pay in Ireland, with one in five workers on low pay. This has a knock-on effect because many people are unable to afford basic costs such as basic housing costs and are unable to contemplate having a secure home. They are simply on too low a rate of pay to be able to meet rising housing prices and rising prices for childcare, transport, food and fuel. This morning the Labour Party's Living Wage Bill 2022 was debated and we welcome the fact that the Government did …

The World Meteorological Organization issued a warning yesterday, as we know, that there is now a 50% chance that temperatures will rise by 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels within the next five years, by 2026. This is yet another wake-up call on climate, as if we needed one. The brutal war on Ukraine reminds us on a daily basis of our continued overreliance on fossil fuels. On a more optimistic note, as we saw in the pandemic, we can see the State, and other states, pivoting quickly to address urgent challenges. W…

As Chair of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality, I thank the Taoiseach for his engagement with our committee. We are making progress on reviewing the recommendations of the citizens' assembly. Its 45 important recommendations are effectively a blueprint for achieving gender equality. We want to produce an action plan by the end of this year to ensure those recommendations will be implemented. We have sought assurances from the Taoiseach and the Government that a referendum will be held next year to pu…